NBA Power Rankings Week 11: All-Star break edition

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team. 125. . 16-20. Previous: 22nd. Atlanta Hawks. 22

Last Week: Lost to Miami Heat 109-99, Beat Miami Heat 94-80, Beat Orlando Magic 115-112

This Week: 3/11 at Toronto Raptors, 3/13 vs. Sacramento Kings

After the rumors swirled for weeks, the Atlanta Hawks finally made the much-anticipated move of firing Lloyd Pierce in the midst of his third season as head coach. The timing felt odd to many on the outside looking in. While the Hawks did come into the season with expectations of competition for the play-in, injuries to essentially every key free agent they brought in during the offseason have sidetracked them.

Also, the Hawks are only a half-game out of the race. This was not about just the play-in. Over the course of the week, the situation started to get clearer. Pierce seemed to have had issues with John Collins, Trae Young and Cam Reddish, three of the four core young players for the Hawks. Facing expectations issues with the key players on the roster, especially the face of the franchise Young, is a quick way to find yourself without a job.

What Lloyd Pierce did in the community during his time with the Hawks, however, should not be understated. During one of the most unprecedented eras of the intersection of sports, civil rights and politics, Atlanta became a hotbed for this time and Pierce was an integral part of the society during this time.

Expectations for the rest of the season under Nate McMillan are tough to manage. DeAndre Hunter’s injury status is still up in the air. Until he returns, more of the same seems to be the most likely outcome for Atlanta.